While the Children Sleep
by ShipsbyNoa
Summary: Clay's safe now, and it's been a long ass night. Dick's looking to refocus his energy on something else or someone else, but Kory has an agenda, too.


When Dick entered the elevator, it was almost four in the morning. A part of him didn't want to leave Clay behind because so many years had passed, too many, and it didn't sit well with him. It made him realize how deeply he had buried himself in grief and vengeance, so wrapped up in what he'd lost, he never stopped to think about what Clay had lost. What they'd all lost that day, it wasn't just his parents, but each other, too. And maybe themselves, like he had.

Kory's voice had played like a loop in his head on the drive back. "How many Robin's should I expect?" followed by Jason's, "I know who I am, who the fuck are you?"

He'd gotten a glimpse into what he looked like when he looked at Jason, using his vigilantism to justify the violence, his pain to excuse the sheer enjoyment of hurting someone else. He should call Bruce and warn him, the kid has a lot of anger and a fucked-up view of what Robin should represent, breaking down cops and starting bar fights. He was looking for a place to put his shit, and he wasn't slowing down. In a word, he was trouble.

"Who the fuck are you?" That question was a punch to the gut. Dick had been looking for a way to put the suit away, to give up Robin, but he was afraid he would have nothing without it, terrified an empty space would be left in its place, and that was more terrifying than anything, to be fearful of being without a goddamn suit.

He cupped his face and inhaled deeply, and then slapped his cheeks. He didn't want to bring his brooding back to the kids, and he knew Kory would suss him as soon as he walked in the door, so he shook it off, and focused on the growl in his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he ate something wholesome. Still hot, even.

"About time," Kory said when the doors opened.

He smiled involuntarily, against the exhaustion, and guilt, and existential dread. Kory could do that. His smile grew, because he hadn't realized that was a new development in their thing, until now. "You miss me?" He teased.

"I might have," She teased right back, sauntering into the kitchen. "I got the kid's a pizza, turkey neck is still breathing, per your request – and," she opened the fridge and presented him with a six-pack and a Chinese container. "Figured you were sick of pizza," she rolled her eyes. " _I'm_ sick of pizza. So, this morning, noodles."

"Thanks, I owe you," Dick shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over the dining table. "How's Rachel – Gar?"

"Gar's still all tingly about how many superheroes, slash, vigilantes you potentially know," Kory sighed, "and Rachel, she's Rachel," she hitched her shoulders. "My little moody, mood ring,"

Dick raised an eyebrow and his mouth quirked up. " _Your_ moody, mood ring?"

"I think we both know, the kids prefer me, you're as sullen as they are, only they have a solid excuse - teenager," she spun, "I, on the other hand, am,"

"A disco ball," he teased. "She called, you know, your mood ring, wanting to know when I was coming back,"

She giggled. "Oh, Dickie," she bit her pinkie finger. "I told her to call you, she was being a little clingy – and I don't mind it, I really like the girl but _I_ needed a break."

"Oh, right, OK," Dick laughs. "Well I'm the fair one,"

"You're the soft one," she pauses, and looks at him with laughter in her voice. "Hold on, are we fighting over the kids?"

"No," he smirked, "we're eating Chinese food at four in the morning and drinking beer," he passes her, and she reaches out, tying her fingers in his. He lets her pull him back, ignoring the change of pace behind his chest, as his heart climbed his ribcage. Being this close to her, feeling her skin was becoming addictive. He needed it or he'd lose concentration thinking about it, so he stole touches where he could, a little tap on her waist, a hand on her shoulder, just to keep himself going until they were alone again.

"Are you OK?" She asked in all seriousness.

Dick took in a deep breath and nodded. "I am now."

Kory looked down at their hands entwined and then let go. "Good."

Dick opened the container and sniffed it. "Smells good," he walked over to the microwave and slipped it in, tapping all the buttons, trying to get it to go on. "You know how to work this thing?"

"Gar worked it before," Kory said. "I wasn't paying attention," she walked over and pulled out the container, cupping it between her hands, as he watched. "Here,"

He took it and felt the heat emanating. "Cool trick. Getting the hang of your powers,"

"Being around those two can be a lesson in restraint, sometimes," Kory replied. "Eat before it gets cold."

"You're not having any?" He slid the chopsticks from the counter top and took a big bite.

"I already had a bite to eat," She said nonchalantly, playing absentmindedly with her ring.

Dick closed the gap between them, his smile soft. "Have another bite," he coaxed, holding the noodles up to her face. "I don't want to eat on my own,"

Kory smiled with amusement and her eyes twinkled at him, and then she leaned forward and took a bite. "Thank you." She raised a quizzical eyebrow when he paused. "What?"

He swallowed. "Nothing," and pulled his gaze, focusing on the food in front of him, because food wasn't doing to his stomach what her eyes on him did.

Kory leaned against the counter and hopped up, sliding back on it. She picked up a beer and used her teeth to peel the top off, taking a swig before she offered it to him.

Dick put the chopsticks down and took the beer, taking a longer swig before he gave it back and resumed eating. This was nice. This was really nice.

"How is your friend?" Kory asked.

"He'll live." Dick touched her hand as he took the beer and sipped again. "He's tough."

She accepted the bottle back. "Who is he, anyway?"

Dick smiled as he dug into the container, playing with it now, because he couldn't focus on two things at once, not when one of those things was navigating Kory's dissection of him. "An old friend."

Kory hummed. "We're the two of you close?"

Dick put the container down. "When I was a kid, yeah," there was laughter in his voice because he knew where this was going, he knew Kory well enough by now. "Thanks for wrangling the kids today,"

"I wasn't aware I was doing you a favor," Kory jumped down off the counter and pulled him by his shirt until he was standing right where she wanted him. She ran both hands under his shirt and they were warm against him. "I want to change it up tonight, a little foreplay,"

His mouth fell open as her hand moved down to his belt buckle. "Oh yeah?"

Her smile was wicked when she leaned in for a kiss he couldn't pull away from, a kiss he didn't want to pull away from. His hands rushed up to cup her face, and he deepened the kiss, prying her mouth open with his tongue.

Kory bit into his lip and pushed him.

"Ow," He licked the bite and swiped at the blood with his finger. "Oh," he moved in and kissed her again, breaking away to pull her into his bedroom. As the door closed behind them, he leaned her against it, pushing her arms up above her head while he crowded her neck with wet kisses, sucking and grazing the area with his teeth.

"Wait," she whispered.

Dick leaned back, panting. "What, are you okay?"

Kory pushed off the door and walked over to the window, then she spun on her heel to face him. "For every true thing you tell me, in any time period of your life, I lose an item of clothing."

Dick laughed and scratched at his jaw. His dick was hard, and Kory wanted to play 21 questions. "Another plan of yours?"

"No," She said, and her face tightened. "No, I'm just tired of pretending I don't see the shit storm you are underneath this calm exterior." Kory shrugged her shoulders. "You let me close, but you don't let me in," a deep sigh, "I'm not taking it personally, but you need to talk to someone."

"Kory,"

"I know you're not heartless, Dick," Kory said. "You've been living in your head too long, that's all. I don't expect you to admit your scared, you don't have to because I know – all of this, it's a lot. But we're not pretending anymore," her eyes are soft now. "OK?"

He swallowed. It wasn't a lot, what she was asking of him and yet it felt big. It felt overwhelming, but he owed that to her. Kory had been by his side since the Roller rink, and she'd followed him, with question, but also trust. He wanted to try harder, and see where it went. "OK."

"There's one condition," she leaned over, unzipping her boots, one after the other, before stepping out of them. "For this to work, there can't be any pride in the room, if you don't think you can do that, then -,"

"Clay," Dick interjected. "His name is Clay," he cleared his throat. "the man, the friend I was helping today. He was there when," he looks down at the carpet. "he was family. Is family." Finally, he looked up, and she was still with him. "I wanted to live with him when I was a kid, but he didn't think he could give me a good life."

"Do you think you would've had a better life?"

Dick frowned. "I don't know,"

Kory closed the gap between them and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and running her fingers through his hair. His arms came around her. Maybe he was scared, though he preferred the word unsettled, or anxious but she seemed to kiss it all away. This felt easy, as though they'd been doing it a lot longer than they had, it was her melodic voice and her long fingers, the soft giggle behind his ear that sent shivers through his body.

She pulled away, whispering against his lips, "do you ever think about it?"

He nodded, his forehead against hers, "all the time,"

Kory stepped back and pulled her panties down, stepping out of them and pressed her chest to his. "But you never would've been Robin," She said in his ear as she curled her hand around his and he watched as she guided it under her dress.

His breath caught in his chest when he found her wet, and looked up at her, pulling her in with his free hand for another kiss. It was harder this time, hungrier, and his two fingers making a v shaped started to move up and down on the outside of her clit. Her breath trembled against his skin. "I know,"

"Do you need this?" She asked, slipping her hand down his trousers to lightly squeeze on his dick.

"Yes," his voice was low, and deep, and raspy.

"Why?" She cried, as his fingers scissored her clit between them faster.

"You," he breathed out. "need you."

Their mouths crashed together again, and their needy hands reached and grabbed, and bruised.

They fell on the bed and Dick rushed her dress over her head, letting her help him work his shirt off the same way, and then he leaned on his elbow, helping her with his free hand to push his trousers with his boxers inside off. With both free of their clothing, he slowed down to look at her, both catching their breath, and then he leaned in, kissing her slowly, tenderly. Briefly, he leaned back to put on a condom, and then he reached down between them, to guide himself in, steadily filling her until she sighed, clenching around him and bringing her knees up to his hips.

Dick cupped her face with one hand and their lips threatened to touch as they moved together. "Don't close your eyes," he whispered.

Kory met his eyes and reached up, running her hand around his neck and through his hair.

"I watched them die," Dick finished, and she continued gently pulling and stroking his hair, the way she had when he started to tell her about that night at the circus. "as a kid I thought Clay didn't want me. I understand now, why he did what he did." His pain was palpable and bone deep, and she didn't want him hurting anymore, so she leaned forward, pressing herself to his side.

"So, Robin 2.0 turned out to be crazier than you." Kory began kissing along his chest, pressing her mouth to each fresh mark, slowly turning purple. The sheets had fallen off the bed and the pillows sat discarded to the side. She felt his fingers in her hair.

"For lack of a better word," He said, rolling his eyes, and smiling when she looked at him.

Kori came back up, running her fingers around his nipple as she settled beside him. "I meant crazy,"

"Says the one who also kicked the shit out of some cops," Dick teased.

"Oh, I never denied it," Kory laughed. "Crazy is definitely in here somewhere," she pointed to her head.

"Oh, yeah?"

She wriggled her eyebrows at him, and silence fell between them. His fingers danced along her skin and she wondered what he'd think, if he knew when he held her this way and kissed her the way he did, that it filled her with warm, sugary goodness. Made her forget she couldn't remember who she was, even made her entertain the idea of creating who she was going to be. Kory 2.0. if it meant this could stay the same, him, and Rachel and Gar.

But she was also a little afraid she wanted something from him she couldn't have, not the way she wanted it, or needed it. Kori didn't feel at home anywhere, she remembered that. She woke up in that car with the feeling she was drowning, barely scratching the surface until she stumbled into this band of misfits led by Mr. Secrecy. Then she could see the shore, and the little voice whispering things she should've been ignoring, a voice teasing clues about the kind of person she might have been before, considering the men she escaped, went quiet.

She'd kept how she felt low-key, because there was already too much going, and she was struggling to process herself. She didn't want them in on that fight, too. Kory laughed at the irony, that she was prying inside of Dick's mind while successful keeping what was going on inside of hers a secret.

"What?" He laughed.

Kory looked up at him. "Nothing."

"Now who's being secretive?" Dick leaned onto his elbow, hovering over her and kissed her neck. "How about, for every true thing you tell me about what's going on inside that head, I make a guess with my mouth where all your sweet spots are."

Kory giggled at him. "You're an idiot."

"I believe you think that's true," He leaned in, planting a wet kiss behind her ear. "1," he said as she sighed. "Talk,"

"You're good between the sheets," She teased, and he paused, looking down at her. "What?"

"Good?" Dick frowned, though his eyes were bright, happy, even.

She giggled again, pressing her tongue between her teeth. "Something tells me, you don't need compliments in that area,"

"I'll take that as compliment," Dick pressed his mouth above her breast. "2," he moved inexorably down, and she fisted his hair as he flicked his tongue over her nipple, before covering it whole with his mouth and sucking. And she arched against him in response. "3, 4, 5," he mumbled.

Kory broke out laughing and pulled him back up. "it's almost 7am, Dick," she said. "your time's up. Next time." She pecked him and sat up, as he slumped down behind her. "Hey," she started, pulling her dress over her body. "Do you remember what you said earlier when I asked you why?"

"Why what?"

She turned to look at him and saw confusion. "When you said you needed me," she swallowed hard.

His face softened as he remembered, and he swallowed, too, taking a long pause. "Yeah. I do. We all need each other. We're in this together."

Kory smiled. He wasn't ready. She sensed he wanted to be, felt it, but maybe she wasn't ready either. After all, she didn't know who she was, and if that person would want and need the same things as she did, or if she or old her would win control of her body. "I spoke to Adamson just before you got here,"

"What?" Dick sat up. "Why didn't you tell me when I came in?"

"Because," She zipped up her boots and stood up. "You looked like you'd had a long ass night and I thought it could wait until morning, and it did."

He sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right, he isn't going anywhere,"

"Let's not finish a night of Chinese food, beer and great sex on crazy, old man," she leaned over the bed and kissed him, smiling when he responded. "I need coffee and a shower." Kory walked to the door. "I need my coffee in the shower."

"Great, huh?" He called after her.

His smile was so big when she turned back, she wanted to punch him. Instead she gave him the finger. "Meet me in that bathroom in 30 minutes." She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She didn't know what she was getting herself into with Dick, but she knew she couldn't help it because she was standing outside his bedroom door, thinking about going back in already, wondering when they'd get another chance to be alone and just be whatever it was they were becoming.

"Shit," She groaned, and pushed off the door, coffee wasn't going to cut it after all.


End file.
